Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

By Joel Reyes

Jayson Tatum made a triumphant return in his first game back from an Achilles injury, leading the Boston Celtics to a 120-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday (PH time) at TD Garden.

Tatum nearly had a triple-double against the Mavs, posting 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists in 27 minutes of action. He shot 6-for-16 from the field, including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Tatum sent Boston fans into a frenzy when he scored five consecutive points late in the second quarter to help the Celtics take a 58-53 lead at the half. He then started to heat up in the third quarter, racking up 7 points and 4 rebounds during that stretch.

The Celtics pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Mavericks 62-47 to improve their record to 42-21. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White also contributed for Boston, scoring 24 and 20 points, respectively.

Klay Thompson scored a team-high 19 points off the bench for the Mavs, who lost for the sixth straight time. They fell to 21-42 after the heavy road loss.